Husband of murdered MP calls on Kneecap to give ‘real apology’

The husband of murdered MP Jo Cox has called on Kneecap to give a “real apology” after footage emerged of the band allegedly calling for MPs to be killed.

It comes after the band defended themselves and posted an apology to the families of murdered MPs in a statement posted on X on Monday night.

The band said that “an extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action”.

Brendan Cox, whose wife was killed in June 2016, said this was “only half an apology”.

“It’s fine to say that you’re sorry for it, but the way that they have actually spoken about it is to suggest that it’s a conspiracy, that they have been targeted unfairly and for me that then doesn’t come across as unfortunately particularly genuine,” Mr Cox said.

In their statement, Kneecap said they rejected “any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever”.

The footage of Kneecap is being assessed by counter-terrorism police and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for prosecution.

On Monday, the daughter of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, who was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery in 2021, said the rap group should apologise.

On X, the band said: “To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.”

Speaking on Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme, Mr Cox said he’d be happy to meet with the band “if that was part of a genuine journey that they were going on to think about how they can retain their radicalism while keeping very, very clear lines about the unacceptability about political anti-democratic violence and violence that’s directed at civilians”.

Ms Cox, the former Batley and Spen MP was killed by far-right terrorist Thomas Mair on 16 June 2016, a week before the EU referendum vote.

“The apology that they’ve given I don’t think has grappled enough with the gravity of what they said,” added Mr Cox.

“When you lose someone that close to you, that never goes away and that every single day that is part of your life. It’s the real sense that they are missing out.”